Need Mechanic Confirmation

[radio_guy]

Ok, so I just bought a 93 XLT from a family member. I love it. I live in Salt Lake and had to drive the truck back from Texas. In New mexico we sprang a leak. I had no idea where it was coming from, or quite frankyl where it was. We get back to Utah and last night a gear slipped. And then of course I realize DUH....it was transmission fluid.

So I take it to the shop today and they say it is a leak from the front end bell housing which will mean they have to remove the entire transmission to get to it.

They gave me an estimate of 400 bucks.

Does this sounds right?

Thanks in advance

radio_guy
Salt Lake City

 

[IZwack]

$400 sounds right if it fixes the problem. Removing the transmission isnt exactly like changing a tire so its a bit pricey

Do tell, assuming the vehicle has an automatic transmission, was leaking fluid a red or dark-red color?

 

[radio_guy]

Hmmm, it was red brown-ish.

The mechanic (who i do trust) did say that they check the pan and that they dont think i need a new transmission.

fingers crossed.

 

[IZwack]

Yeah then its probably the transmission (red brown-ish).

 

[radio_guy]

well it sucks because this truck is a 93, but it has been old people in the family owned and only has 51,000 miles.

I guess things just wear out after 13 years.

 

[IZwack]

well it sucks because this truck is a 93, but it has been old people in the family owned and only has 51,000 miles.

I guess things just wear out after 13 years.

Wow, 51k in 13 years - LOL thats under 4k miles a year!

 

[radio_guy]

Oh dude....most of those miles were early on. In the last five years the car has probably averaged 500 miles a year.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I drive an average of 2-4K miles a year. I had serious problems with the front seal blowing out on highway driving during the summer with the A/C on. It was because the fluid was getting too hot, and expanded. I had to replace my water pump, thermostat, fan clutch, belts, and radiator cap. They were all bad. It solved the front seal blow out problem. My temperature gauge is much lower now compared to before.

 

[BrooklynBay]

This link discusses the problem with the front seal blowing out from a low coolant condition in the radiator: Dead Link Removed

 

[radio_guy]

Ok well reading this forum makes me sad for my Explorer.

Brooklyn, are you suggesting that this may happen again....even soon?

I can't imgaine having to repeatedly pay 400 bucks to fix a seal over and over again.

 

[Glacier991]

I do not buy into the notion that low coolant per se is the cause of front seal leaks and blowouts, very often or maybe at all.. I think this idea is overapplied and over generalized.

 

[BrooklynBay]

In my case, it wasn't because of low coolant. It was from the transmission fluid being overheated. My water pump had a bad bearing, and was wobbling. The fan clutch was free spinning, so it was not turning as fast as it should have. The thermostat might have been part of the problem, so I replaced it to be on the safe side. My belts were badly dried out, and had a lot of small cracks. I had some slippage from them. My P/S pump, and A/C were squeeling, so I'm sure that the water pump might have been slipping with it too. My radiator cap had a ripped gasket, and I kept losing coolant to the reserve tank. After doing all of this, my temperature gauge now stays low. I have gone to Pennsylvania, and back without the front seal blowing out. This trip is about 85 miles each way. Before I did this, it blew out after an hour or more of highway driving. So to sum it up, the coolant temperature does have an affect on the ATF's temperature since the radiator shares a section for the transmission cooler. I wasn't implying that you have to repeatedly replace the front seal everytime it blows out.

 

[BrooklynBay]

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[peties3]

I can see that the temp in the rad. may cause the tranny temp to get extremely high but I would have to agree that the engine does not directly cause the tranny front seal to blow out.

 

[BrooklynBay]

You are correct that it's not blowing out from temperature alone. It is a combination of pressure built up from acceleration (high RPMs for an extended period of time), friction, and temperature. All of these things contribute to the front seal blowing out. In my case, the temperature was the thing that threw off this balance. Don't forget that the pump is back to back with the front seal (in a matter of speaking). The bell housing has the seal pressed into it, and the pump is bolted to the back of it. High RPMs cause the pump to turn faster. There is a small drain hole in the bell housing near the seal which could be drilled out to help this problem. It is explained in the rebuild diary.

 

[BrooklynBay]

A cracked crankshaft to flywheel spacer, and bushing could cause leakage from the front seal area, so it's not always the seal that is bad. Here's a link about the spacer:http://www.transmissionspecialty.com/parts/parts/56000-CS6.htm. Here is a picture from Glacier991's photo gallery of the hole in the bell housing:

 

[radio_guy]

Thanks for all the info guys. I got the official estimate this morning and they say 378 to fix it.

Let's hope that my '93 can be problem free for a while....

 

[Bronco II]

I don't buy the low coolant in the radiator causing the transmission pump seals to blow out, but the higher temp don't help either. Other than a cracked flex plate or broken flex plate spacer A4LDs, and most other transmissions, usually blow the front seal because the pump bushing lets pressurized fluid from the pump past it blowing out the front seal. In some cases, like on high mileage cars, the seal could just be worn out. Enlarging the drain hole in the bell housing side of the pump will help with this if the pump bushing is not excessively warn. If the pump bushing is excessively warn a rebuilt pump might be in order, A4LDs are known for the pump bushing bore not being perfectly centered causing seal blow outs.

 

[410Fortune]

Holey Moley Mr Bronco II your signature is too big, please reduce it before a mod does it for you...


My thoughts on this is $378 to fix the frnot pump seal is not expensive at all, you are paying for 4-8 hours of labor and a $15 part.
Make sure they stake the new seal in place.

BUT this is $378 that could be going towards a rebuilt transmission (about $1000-1400) with a warranty.
I suspect putting 4378 into this unit now MAY fix the problem but I suspect other problems to arise, based on age not miles.

The worse thing you can do for a vehicle is let it sit......especially an auto transmission.....

You can spend a little now or ALOT later.....

 

[BrooklynBay]

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